Changes
by McAbbyAddict
Summary: What was Abby thinking while McGee was being held hostage? Episode tag to 'Caged'. This is now a multi-chapter fic. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: I was watching the episode 'Caged' tonight, and this occurred to me. Hope you like it! F.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters etc etc.**

Abby chatted to Tony and Ziva as she went to write a note for Tim. She was a little annoyed that they'd missed their lunch date. It wasn't like it was a date date, but still. She liked spending time with Tim. He was a good friend. But he'd had to go out to the prison to question Celia Roberts about the dead Lieutenant they'd found yesterday. She'd borrowed a game off him that she meant to return to him at lunch, but now she didn't know whether she'd get to see him at all today. Who knew how long he'd be stuck in that hellhole for? If she didn't leave the game at his desk, she'd probably forget about it.

She was distracted from her note by Tony's antics, distorting Tim's id photo. She couldn't help but laugh. The urge was quickly killed when Gibbs informed the team of their next destination. Maryland State Prison for Women.

She paled as the significance of that hit her. Tim was there! What could have happened? She tried getting information out of Gibbs, but all she got was a promise to call her. She watched as the team disappeared towards the elevator, all jokes aside. Suddenly writing him a note about some stupid computer game didn't seem important anymore.

Sighing, she dragged herself down to the lab. She could busy herself rerunning the evidence from Poletto's body while she waited for news.

...

The problem with rerunning evidence was that she was too good at her job, she decided. It gave her hands something to do, but so much of this stuff came naturally these days; she didn't have to think too hard about what she was doing. Which left her brain a lot of 'down time'. Normally she welcomed the time to think, but not today. Time to think meant time to fret. She paced restlessly as her computers crunched the information she'd given them. She needed to know what was going on! What had happened to put Tim in danger? Why hadn't Gibbs called? Was he ok? Would he get back in one piece? Prisons were dangerous places by their very nature; you put a whole bunch of criminals in a small area, you got danger.

Suddenly she couldn't stand it any longer. She grabbed her cell and called Tony, shifting impatiently from foot to foot as it rang. And rang. And rang. He wasn't picking up. That made her worry even more. What could be going on that would get McGee in so much trouble, and cause tony not to answer his cell as well? Tony always answered his phone, at least since he stopped doing all that undercover work. Gibbs wasn't answering either. Her mind raced through the possibilities. Surely he wasn't dead? He couldn't be, Gibbs would have told her, the same way he told her when Kate was killed.

Tears sprung to her eyes at the thought. Tim, dead? Never being able to share their little techie jokes that no one else understood, computers, Caf-Pows, again? Never seeing that big grin when she made some offhand comment that meant she'd just made his day? She felt frozen inside at the idea. No. She wouldn't let herself think that. Gibbs would have called her, she was sure of it. But then, it had taken hours for Gibbs to call her when Kate was killed too; he'd been too busy trying to catch Ari. What if it was the same thing again this time? What if he hadn't called because he was interrogating Tim's killer?

She was driving herself crazy with this. She picked up her cell phone again and called Ziva. Maybe she'd answer.

Ziva's opening words "McGee is fine" made her feel like a weight had lifted off her chest. She felt almost giddy with relief; at least until she heard what he was doing. He was putting himself in so much danger! Part of her knew that McGee could take care of himself; he was a highly trained federal agent after all, and no one lasted long on Gibbs' team if they were weak. But part of her insisted that this shouldn't be happening to him, of all people. It should be Tony or Ziva or Gibbs in there. Gibbs had sent him out there to test him, and now he felt like he had to prove himself or something. He didn't realise that he didn't have anything to prove to them.

...

It was times like this that she hated her job. Her friends, her family, went out every day and risked their lives while she was stuck back here trying to figure out the facts so they didn't get killed. She'd said as much to Tony and Ziva when they brought her this latest batch of evidence. Tony's reply about never seeing them at all had merit, but still. This was the first time since she'd met him that she'd been this worried about Tim. He'd never gotten into crazy situations like this before; he wasn't Tony, handcuffing himself to a murderer, or Ziva, getting set up by Mossad assassins for crying out loud! This was McGee, her Timmy, her best friend. Volunteering to be a hostage for a bunch of crazy criminals wasn't like him at all.

Or was it? Her hands slowed as she processed the thought. It wasn't like the Timothy McGee she'd first met, that was for sure. But a lot of years had passed since then; he'd changed a lot, grown up. He wasn't the nervous, self doubting green kid that he'd been then, though he still had his moments. Which personally she found endearing. He was a lot stronger, more confident these days. Tougher, somehow, which was ok by her. The nervousness may be endearing, but the toughness was totally hot.

She shook her head, dispelling the stray thought. She had to figure out this evidence and get Timmy back home, alive and unharmed. Get Timmy back. Focus on that Abs, she told herself.

...

She kept glancing out her lab windows as she worked. The deadline- sundown- was fast approaching. She knew Tim had the information she'd found, Gibbs had given him the laptop. What had they missed? Why wasn't he home yet?

A thought occurred to her. Picking up the phone, she called the prison and demanded to see the urinalysis records. Inwardly she cringed as the convinced the prison officials that she was Gibbs' boss. Surely he'd understand? She was trying to save Tim's life here! She knew that if the warden's men tried to storm the visitors centre, he'd be the first one that the prisoners would take their anger out on. The cold, frozen feeling returned at that thought, forcing her to dig further for answers.

...

News of Tim's release hit her hard. Her knees gave out at first, and she had to sit down to stop her head spinning. He was really safe! She knew he'd be coming back to the Yard instead of going home; he had a report to write, and he was nothing if not conscientious. Once she could stand again, she headed for the elevators. She'd wait for him upstairs.

Impatience was driving her crazy as she watched the elevator for his arrival. She wanted to see him, make sure for herself that he was definitely ok. Finally the elevator dinged and there they were. She ignored the rest of the team; she only had eyes for Tim. She rushed to him, hugging him tightly as she welcomed him home. The interruption of his cell phone irked her, though she took great pleasure in listening to his thinly veiled threat to the mechanic who was clearly trying to rip him off.

"Looks like your time in the Big House changed you; I like it!" she informed him after he hung up. The toughness really was totally hot. She was rewarded with a grin, her favourite grin. She was only partially telling the truth though; she really did like the older version of McGee, even more than she'd liked him when they'd first met. And she'd really liked the younger version.

She perched herself on the edge of Gibbs' desk, watching him as he started compiling his report. She knew she should go and let him work, but something kept her there. She didn't really want to let him out of her sight, not just yet. Not after today.

She found her thoughts wandering back 6 years ago. She knew Tony had set them up as a joke, but something about Timothy McGee had gotten under her skin. Most guys took one look at her tattoos and ran a mile, at least clean-cut guys like Tim anyway. But he hadn't run; he'd gotten a tattoo of his own. She didn't intimidate him in the least. But a little too much of the clean-cut image lingered for her taste, at least back then. He wanted a home and a family, and he was a little too serious about them for her liking. She wasn't ready to settle down. But now... maybe it was time to try again?

Covertly, she studied him while he worked. The weight he'd lost suited him; he looked fitter, leaner without being angular, and the money he'd spent on his wardrobe had been well spent. The ill fitting, odd coloured suits he used to wear had been replaced with ones that were understated but sophisticated. He'd taken to wearing his hair longer too; sometimes a lock fell in his eyes, making her fingers itch to smooth it back where it belonged. All in all, he was one very attractive man. He didn't flaunt it, the way Tony did, but to her that made it even more noticeable.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice that he'd finished his report and was standing right in front of her

"Abs?" he asked "You ok?"

Startled, she slid off the desk onto her feet

"You heading home?" she asked him

"Yeah, it's been a long day. You?"

"Yeah, I'm done for the night" she replied

"Come on; I'll walk you out" he offered. Smiling, she went with him to the elevator

...

His car was parked out front. She allowed herself an inward laugh at his look of surprise. Obviously he'd thought the mechanic was going to renege on his word. Again.

Ever the gentleman, he steered her past his car and walked her to her own. She found his protectiveness amusing; it was just part of Tim.

"Hey, sorry I had to cancel on lunch today, Abs" he said as they got to her car "Can we try again tomorrow?"

"Don't worry about it, McGee. Not your fault" she swallowed. He'd given her an opening here; what if he said no? Oh well, it was now or never.

"I was thinking... what if wasn't just two friends getting lunch together? What if it was more like a date date?" She paused, trying to gauge his reaction "I'd like to try again, Tim, if you would"

She had her back to the car, trying to act casual while she waited for his answer. He took a half step towards her. There was a light in his deep green eyes that she'd never seen there before, making her breath catch in her throat.

"I've been hoping you'd say that for a very long time, Abs" he murmured as he lowered his head to hers. The kiss was gentle and tender, bur she could feel the passion he kept under restraint. She was disappointed when he pulled away. His eyes were dark with desire as he asked

"Tomorrow night? "She nodded, not trusting herself to speak

"I'll pick you up at 7" He grinned at her, that special Timmy grin that she loved, making her heart race even faster, before turning and walking back to his car. She watched as he pulled the Porsche out of the lot before giving herself a little shake and climbing into her own car.

It had been an interesting day.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok, I wasn't actually going to turn this into a multi chapter fic. But silly me forgot to tick the little 'complete' box when I posted the original... anyway, this came to mind. Hope you like it. F**

McGee drove with less than his usual caution. Only half of his mind was on the road; the rest was on the events of the day. He knew it was going to be an odd day from the beginning; after all, he didn't exactly visit convicted murderers on a daily basis. It had turned into one of the strangest days he'd ever had since joining NCIS. Getting taken hostage, investigating a crime scene inside a building full of criminals, and finally getting the confession he'd come for; these had all been unusual. But all that had paled next to the end of the day, at least for him.

All of the other stuff, that was part and parcel of working for NCIS. They dealt with criminals every day; it was their job to put them behind bars, and sometimes they dealt with criminals that had already been put there.

Abby's question, however...

He'd been waiting, hoping, that one day she'd change her mind. But it had been 5 years since they'd split up. He'd stopped believing that it was a possibility and resigned himself to a fruitless search for someone that would make him feel even a fraction of the way he felt when he was with Abby. So of course he'd said yes, without even thinking about it.

Now all he had to do was figure out where to take her.

...

By the time he got to work the next morning, he was a nervous wreck. He couldn't remember being this nervous about a date with Abby the first time around. But then this was different. This wasn't someone he'd never met; they'd spent their first date getting to know each other. If the date didn't go well then, it wasn't a big deal. Now... There was a lot more riding on this date. He had a feeling that this was their last chance; He wanted everything to go perfectly.

So he was relieved when he walked into the bullpen that morning to find a stack of cold case files on his desk. For once he hoped they didn't get a case; the last thing he wanted was to be stuck here late and have to reschedule his date with Abby. Plus it was Friday; if they got one now, they'd be here the whole weekend trying to solve it, and they weren't supposed to have the weekend duty. Gibbs would expect them to cancel any plans to work on the case.

He did his best to concentrate on the file in front of him. It was a 6 year old cold case, an aggravated assault. It was from before he joined the team, and he wasn't familiar with it at all. He focused his full attention on the file, trying to see if there was an angle that had been missed in the original investigation.

Finally around mid afternoon, he gave it up. It was a case that had been worked by Gibbs, Kate and Tony; the investigation was meticulous. There just wasn't enough evidence. The thought brought an idea with it. Abby's evidence report was attached to the case file, but not her notes. He wondered if there was anything in them that might shed a little light. He looked up from his desk. Gibbs was nowhere to be seen; probably up in MTAC. Tony was playing some mindless game on his computer, not even trying to conceal it, and Ziva was on the phone. Judging by the few words he caught, she was talking to someone back home in Israel. He picked up the file and headed for the elevator, mildly nervous again at the thought of seeing Abby. It would be the first time he'd seen her since their conversation in the parking lot the previous night, and he wasn't quite sure how to act.

...

He detoured past the Caf-Pow machine, grabbing her a cup of her favourite beverage before entering her domain, trying to act normally. She was looking at something under the microscope

"Hey Abs" he greeted her as he came up behind her. She jumped a little at the sound of his voice, then spun on her heel to face him  
"McGee! You scared me"

"Sorry" he gave her a sheepish smile, then held up the Caf-Pow he'd brought her, waving it invitingly "Brought you this"

"Thanks" she took it off him "Got anything new for me?"

He rolled his eyes

"I wish. Actually, I was wondering if I could look at your notes on a cold case..." His trepidation was forgotten as he explained what he needed.

...

He drove home as fast as he dared, weaving his sports car through the traffic. This was one of the reasons he'd bought the wildly expensive toy in the first place; it made his commute fun.

Gibbs had released them right on the dot of five pm, as he'd hoped, but he was still going to have to move it if he was going to be on time to pick up Abby at 7. He couldn't decide if he was more excited or nervous about this date as the time got closer.

He spun the Porsche into his allotted parking space in the building lot and walked briskly to his apartment. Not taking time to change out of his work clothes, he dumped his pack at the door and grabbed Jethro's lead. His German Shepherd dashed up to him as he picked up the leash. He bent and clipped the lead to the dog's collar, letting him half-drag him out of the building. Jethro was going to have to be content with a quick walk tonight.

After a quick walk around the block, he let Jethro back inside and headed for the shower. He checked the time. Traffic had been really bad and Jethro not at all eager to have his walk shortened; he really had to hurry now.

...

He made his way down the hall to her apartment, his heart rate accelerating as he got closer. He checked his watch one last time before knocking. He was right on time. Taking a deep breath, he raised his free hand and knocked, careful not to damage the small bunch of black roses he carried.

"Coming" she called out. He waited for a moment before she opened the door

"Hey Abs" he started to say, but the words got stuck in his throat. She was wearing a deep red dress that stopped just above her knees. Cut low in the front, it clung lightly in all the right places. She'd left her hair down. He loved her hair like that. She was so beautiful. He swallowed once or twice. How had he gotten this lucky?

"Abs, you look amazing" he said huskily once he'd gotten his voice back. She gave him a small self-conscious smile

"Thanks Tim"

She put the roses he gave her in a vase, then they headed out to his waiting car.

...

He'd finally settled on a small, intimate Italian restaurant a few blocks away. It was tasteful without being flashy, and it had the added bonus of being quiet enough that you could actually hold a conversation. Some of the currently 'in' restaurants were crowded so badly that you could barely hear your dinner partner.

They took a few minutes to order, both glad when the solicitously hovering waiter was out of earshot.

She made him go over what had happened at the prison yesterday, looking alternately horrified and amused at his retelling. At the end of the recount, he paused and grinned at her  
"Let's stop talking about work, huh?" She nodded, returning his grin

"So how's Jethro? I haven't seen him in a while".

He smiled at the mention of his beloved pet. He knew how much Abby loved the big dog

"He's doing fine. A little annoyed at me for cutting his walk short tonight, so I need to make it up to him. It's Saturday tomorrow; if you don't have anything else planned why don't you come over and see him? We could take him out to Rock Creek Park" he suggested

"Is this a second date, Tim?" she said teasingly

"Only if you want it to be" He was suddenly serious. "I'm not going to push you or rush you at all, Abby. If you don't want a second date, well that's up to you."

"What about you, Tim? Do you want a second date?" she asked

He gave a soft chuckle "As I said last night, Abs, I've been hoping for this for a very long time"

He changed the subject, moving the conversation on to less dangerous ground

They talked for hours, lingering over coffee and dessert long after their plates had been cleared. Neither of them realised how long they'd been there until they noticed that the staff was starting to pack up for the night.

"Guess we'd better go" he said, standing up and getting her coat. He helped her into her jacket, paid the cheque and guided her out to his car.

They drove in companionable silence back to her apartment. Always gentlemanly, he parked the Porsche and walked her to her door

"Look, come tomorrow. It'd be great to have some company other than just Jethro" he told her

She considered for a moment

"Just as friends?" she asked

"Anyway you'd like, Abby"

"I'd like that"

"I'll pick you up at say, 11?"

He leaned forwards and kissed her gently, the merest brush of lips, then went to walk away

"Tim?"

He turned back towards her

"It's a date"

"Goodnight, Abby" he grinned at her, watching until she was safely inside before he left. He knew he was still smiling as he climbed back into his car.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry to take so long to update this one. I had half a chapter written that I was more than a little stuck on. F.**

He was up early the next morning, organising things for their trip out to Rock Creek. It was a beautiful day outside; sunny without being overly hot, so he'd decided to take a picnic with them. He caught himself whistling while he packed the basket, laughing at himself. He couldn't remember ever being this happy about taking his dog for some exercise.

The only problem with his car, he decided as he stuffed everything in the trunk, was the size. The small sports car wasn't really made to transport two people and a fully grown German Shepherd dog. It was going to get a little cramped.

Going back upstairs, he clipped Jethro's lead onto his collar and took him down to the car. Jethro barked excitedly as he drove out of the lot. He loved car rides

...

Abby was waiting outside when he pulled up in front of her building. He checked the time nervously. He wasn't late, was he? He killed the engine, getting out and grabbing Jethro's lead so he didn't bolt as he opened the passenger side door

"Morning Abby" he smiled at her "We're not late are we?"

She shook her head "Morning Timmy. I just didn't want you to have to leave him in the car" she explained. She turned her attention to the dog, scratching behind his ears, telling him he was a good dog. At his command, Jethro got off the seat and curled up on the floor so Abby could get in

"Sorry, it's a bit of a tight fit Abs. That's the thing about sports cars. No room"

She laughed

"Then maybe next time we should take my car"

Next time. He liked the sound of that.

...

The roads were relatively clear, for once. They made it to Rock Creek Park in good time, finding that it wasn't particularly crowded for a fine Saturday. Yet, anyway. McGee had the sneaking suspicion that that might change as it got towards afternoon. They'd better make sure they tired the German Shepherd out before families started arriving.

As she got out of the Porsche, Abby neglected to take hold of Jethro's lead. McGee made a grab for it, but he was too late. The dog made a beeline towards the stream that was visible a short distance away, Abby in hot pursuit. He crashed through the water, splashing her. At McGee's whistle, he circled back around, followed by Abby who was brushing water droplets off her arms and face. McGee barely had time to register the sudden alertness of a couple in the middle distance before Abby claimed his attention.

"Good thing it's warm out today; I guess we'll both dry out quickly" she commented, swiping at the last damp patch on her arm

"Don't bet on it; he loves the water" McGee told her

"Then let's go that way, away from the creek huh?" she suggested

He picked up the picnic things and headed in the direction she pointed, sparing a backwards glance for the distant couple.

They found a shaded spot to put the blanket he'd brought before Abby was distracted by Jethro. It had been a while since he'd had more than his daily walk, and the dog was in a playful mood. Watching their antics as he spread out the blanket, he chuckled to himself. He wasn't sure which one had more energy; his dog or his date.

"C'mon Tim" Abby called to him in the midst of play chasing Jethro "He wants to play"

Grinning, he headed down the hill towards them

...

Later, after Jethro had decided he'd had enough and gone to sleep, they lay on the picnic blanket he'd spread out on a shady patch of grass. He watched her as she sprawled out contentedly. Sensing his eyes on her, she turned her face towards him

"So do you bring all of your dates here to spend time with you and Jethro?" she teased

He flashed her a grin at that, but couldn't keep the edge out of his voice as he replied

"Most women I date never get to the point of meeting Jethro. Most of them are attracted to the car and the clothes more than anything" he explained "I'm not really into casual relationships" Inwardly he winced. Why did he say something like that to commitment-phobic Abby? He hastened to explain "I didn't mean that. Well, I did mean that but I didn't mean it like that and" She put up her hand, stopping his stammering.

"It's ok, Tim. I know". He was tempted to ask her what she meant, but after a short pause she continued

"It's been 5 years, Tim. We've both changed a lot. I'm done with the whole casual relationship thing." His heart leapt at her words "So stop worrying, ok? I'm not going to run this time"

"Promise?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Promise?_

He'd said it flippantly, but he hadn't been able to hide the depth of feeling behind the simple question. He'd loved her for years, falling for her a little more every day, and he couldn't face the thought of losing this again. He didn't think he could pick up the pieces this time.

She heard the tremble in his voice, recognised the insecurity behind the almost off hand question, and suddenly she knew. Knew how much she'd hurt him the first time around, knew how much he'd kept bottled up. Knew that she'd better be damned sure before she made this promise, because Tim meant forever, she could see it in his eyes. She felt a shiver of joy and wonder run down her spine at the thought of this extraordinary man wanting to be with her forever. That one little word had changed their relationship irrevocably. There was only one answer she could give.

"I promise, Tim" she answered, a little breathless at the magnitude of the commitment she'd given him. And surprised at the lack of fear; what coursed through her veins now, raising her heartbeat, wasn't terror-driven adrenaline, but excitement. She wanted to laugh out loud for pure joy. 5 years of friendship, and all it took was one everyday word.

His grin this time was blinding. Reaching out, he pulled her into his arms, holding her close. Defining what they were to each other could come later; right now, he was hers and she was his, and that was all that mattered.

...

They spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Jethro and talking of inconsequential things. He returned the picnic basket to the car, rejoining her to take part in a tug of war between Abby and the dog. Occasionally their hands would brush and they'd catch themselves smiling at each other. Finally as the shadows began to lengthen they started slowly back to the car, keeping an eye out to make sure Jethro was following them. She slipped her arm around his waist as they walked, sighing in contentment as he slung his arm over her shoulders.

He looked around for Jethro as they climbed the last little rise to the parking lot. Not seeing him, he gave one of his ear piercing whistles. The couple he'd noticed before spun towards him. The woman was in shadow, all he could make out was a mass of curly hair, but the man was unmistakeably Anthony DiNozzo; and he'd seen them. He whistled again, this time seeing his dog come running from the direction of a patch of woods.

"Where did you learn to whistle like that, Tim?" Abby asked

"Gibbs taught me" he answered absentmindedly. That was it; that explained why Tony had reacted to him whistling for Jethro. It sounded like Gibbs. But why did the woman react? A suspicion came to mind, but he dismissed it as ridiculous.

Pushing thoughts of the rest of the team aside, he turned his attention back to Abby and Jethro.

...

He hummed to himself as he entered the bullpen early on Monday morning. He and Abby had spent the rest of the weekend together, and he hadn't been this happy in...Well, ever. A note on his desk caught his eye as he put his badge and gun in the drawer. It was in Tony's handwriting, and it read 'Mutual Assured Destruction'. He laughed. It was a term from the Cold War, describing the philosophy behind the masses of nuclear weapons maintained by the US and the former USSR. Unless he was much mistaken, this was Tony's blackmail for recognising him and Abby at the park on Saturday. Tony wouldn't tell Gibbs about McGee and Abby breaking Rule 12 if he didn't tell Gibbs about Tony... which meant his suspicions were correct. The woman had indeed been Ziva.

Chuckling to himself, he left a note of his own on Tony's desk

'Agreed'

Life around here was about to get a little more complicated.


End file.
